Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This 2006 Rav4 engine is known for its massive oil consumption due to the faulty piston rings. Always kept oil in it and had regular changes because of this issue. Checked the oil 2 days prior to the engine failure, and all was well. Driving down the hwy going around 70mph, the engine started to lose power and sound funny (high rpm sounds with no power), so I took my foot off the gas and coasted for a few seconds. Down to 50mph, I hit the gas pedal, and then a loud BOOM happened and car shook. Smoke from the engine, and then all the dash lights came on. Lost all power. Looked under the engine and a piston had blown a hole through the bottom of it. Needs new engine now. Mechanic inspected it and they documented with a picture. Thankfully I was not injured as that could have caused a serious wreck, especially if there was someone behind me. …
2006 Toyota Rav4 with 2.4 liter engine burning oil rapidly. Burning approximately 4 quarts of oil in 3,000 miles. Vehicle currently has 100,000 miles. Issue persists even though I maintain routine maintenance on the vehicle. Luckily no safety hazards have occurred yet, but there is a high risk for potential safety hazard. Vehicle has been inspected by 3 different mechanics. I have been told by 3 different mechanics that this is a common issue for cars with this year/engine. About 2,800 miles after high synthetic oil change the vehicle begins to sound like it is struggling to accelerate at low speeds and the check engine oil light will briefly turn on at random then go away. Light does not stay lit or continuously flicker.
Two days ago my car was driving perfectly on the highway. The oil pressure light turned on I turned off the highway immediately and put more oil in the car. At this point my car is consuming over a quart every week and I don't drive more than a couple of hundred miles every week. I've taken several longer trips with this car. I started the car back up after checking the oil level, started driving and the light didn't come back on. About 10 more miles down the road on the highway the oil pressure light the check engine light vsc light the four-wheel drive light appear. I go to an AutoZone and I get a code p0012. I've done lots of research and I've learned that this is all related to Toyota's well-known defective design and manufacturing of their engines. I have a 2az Fe engine. I bought this car with 125,000 miles on it in 2020. It now has about 154,000 mi on it. …
When my car had just under 100K miles on it I started experiencing the following oil usage levels: two oil changes ago the oil light came on between oil changes; oil did not register on the dipstick and it took approximately 4 quarts of oil before oil even registered on the dipstick. One oil change ago I checked the oil after approximately 2K miles and oil did not register on the dipstick. It took approximately 3 quarts of oil before oil registered above the lowest marking on the dipstick. I received toyotas warranty extension notice and scheduled the excessive oil usage test. On March 7, 2015, part 1 of toyotas technical service bulletin test was performed; I did not stay with the car while the oil change was performed. On April 13, 2015, the second part of the test was performed. …
The 2006 RAV4 model Toyota has a record of stuck or clogged oil rings causing excessive oil consumption which can lead to failure of engine and catalytic converter. This defect causes oil to burn at a rate of approximately 1 quart or more every 1,000 miles. My RAV4 was brought to the dealership on 7/16/2015 to perform the first phase of an oil inspection & consumption test. On 8/4/2015 the vehicle was brought back to the dealership for re-inspection. It failed the consumption test & I was told that as soon as parts became available I'd be contacted; however, there were several customers ahead of me awaiting the same repair. Two months have passed & I have yet to hear back from the dealership as to when the repair can happen. I called the service manager 10/2/2015. The service manager told me he would look into the matter & return my call in 15 minutes. He never called back. …
10/26/15 was serviced by germain Toyota, naples, fl, oil tank was empty and engine was overheated. The car had been driven 3711 miles since last oil change (there was no leak). I put a quart of oil in so that I could drive it to the dealer. They performed their version of an oil consumption test and claimed it passed the test. 3/11/16 oil tank was empty and car was overheated. It had been driven 2496 miles since the previous oil change. They said it had passed the previous test & all was OK. 10/7/16 oil tank was empty, had been driven but I had purchased 3 qts of oil and added it to the empty tank. Prior to me adding the oil, car was extremely overheated and I got burned trying to get the hood up. I could not touch any part of the engine or would have been severely burned. The car now failed a new oil consumption test. …
The engine is burning oil like mad. I purchased it three weeks ago and there were no issues when I looked at it. I hooked my OBD ii scanner and no codes popped, which made me go ahead and purchase it. I heard about the Toyota 2az-fe engines having oil issues, but this is getting out of hand. My mechanic changed my oil a little over a week ago and notified me that I was a quart low, but filled it for me. He told me if I was concerned to monitor it, which I have. Tonight, February 27, 2020, I checked my oil while it's stationary in my driveway and has not been on for over four hours and it's right around the low level line. I got my oil changed at 163,035 miles. It's now low at 163,260 miles! I'm scared and concerned about driving it because being a college student and working, I would dread that my RAV4's engine blows up or seizes on me out of no where. …
It seems there is a problem with the oil consumption in many different Toyota vehicle models including mine. I brought my vehicle in for service on this particular problem and they did an oil consumption test, which was not performed as I drove over the required 1200 miles. However, they told me I needed to have the bottom part of the engine rebuilt. Not once did they mention the ongoing problem. I told them I had to think about it and was told to check the oil more often than normal. After getting home and doing research online did I find that my engine can seize at any time even with oil in it. Also, if I pay for the repairs, this can happen again. I don't have the money for repairs nor another vehicle. There should have been a recall on this problem. I would have never bought my car if I would have known. I don't know what to do. Can you advise?
My RAV4 has been consuming excessive oil and when I took it to the Toyota service station, I am told it needs engine overhaul to include piston and quoted 5258$. When engine oil sign on dashboard has been going on since June 2016, and every 5000 miles the service center tops the oil it got fixed. And intermittently, I had to top the oil. The matter has gone undiagnosed until 6/28/17. When I look back it was a global issues with Toyota http://www.toyotaproblems.com/trends/excessive-oil-consumption/ I did not receive any letters from Toyota about this issue. Toyota saying the warranty extension program expired in October 2016 and they will not provide any assistance and now I am faced with a big bill.
Toyota oil consumption. When changing the oil, the oil pan only drains roughly 2 quarts of oil. I checked online to see if there were any recalls on oil consumption for the make, model, and year of the car and there was. Unfortunately, when typing in the VIN it did not have a recall for that specific vehicle. But it did matched exactly what the symptoms of that recall was. I called the 1-800 customer help line and they were unhelpful. I was told the recall expired and the previous owner did not take action with the recall. This can be a huge road safety hazard for both the driver and other drivers around the vehicle. The car is consuming oil due to the pistons recall. Please help.
Engine complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2006 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 149 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2006 Toyota RAV4, 21% of the model year's 705 complaints. The component named most often is engine (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota RAV4 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2006 Toyota RAV4, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota RAV4 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 2 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.